Eureka Word of Mouse Pays Off for SCI FI

7/12/2007 8:33 PM

Author: Multichannel Staff

Season two of SCI FI Channel’s Eureka, launched last Tuesday at 9p, scored a 1.9 HH rating and netted 1.4 million viewers P25-54, 1.3 million P18-49, and over 2.5 million total viewers (P2+). The hour was SCI FI’s #1 telecast in 2007 for viewers P18-49.

Eureka is a dramedy about a village full of geniuses who get themselves into - how do you say? situations - when they play with all sorts of top secret gadgets.

Ads for the series ran a top the Internet’s most popular technology blogs. “Bringing you amazing gadgets that are beyond the cutting edge!" said the banner on Gizmodo. Other ads were showing up on Engadget. Further inspection revealed a fun, smart viral campaign.

A roll-over option loaded a compact but content rich pop-up with click-throughs for promo videos and a list of silly, wacky Eureka inventions like a “verminator” and “fat fizz.”

The pop-up also listed a telephone number: “Call 1-866-40 Eureka for details.”

“These are not real products” warns the fine print at the bottom.

The 800 phone number was irresistible. The recording: “Welcome to ‘Made in Eureka’ where we proudly bring the ground-breaking inventions of tomorrow to today’s marketplace. We provide only the latest in essential consumer technology, all factory direct from America’s smartest little town — Eureka.”

Pressing on the various menus directed the caller to audio clips from the series.

As a further attractant to viewers, word spread quickly on Monday and Tuesday across the ‘net that at some point during the Eureka premiere, SCI FI had scheduled a 30 second morsel/sneak peek of the prequel Razor - the made for television Battlestar movie which will air during upcoming November sweeps. The fourth and final season of the acclaimed series is slated for kickoff in 2008.